Meet the NexPhone: An Ubuntu-based Smartphone, PC, Tablet and Laptop in One
20 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Here’s a name you’ll be hearing a lot about in the next few months: NexPhone[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]NexCrea a subsidiary of Kosmaz Technlogies a Walnut Creek, CA based VOIP provider has launched a marketing video on Youtube touting itself as one of the first vendors to offer the much anticipated Ubuntu on Android technology.
The NexPhone project is simple in its premise: it’s a smartphone running Ubuntu for Android that can be turned into a tablet, PC, or laptop by ‘docking’ the device to different hardware components.
[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://cloudfront.omgubuntu.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nexcrea.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE]Sound familiar? It should do. This idea isn’t new. Asus have their PadFone; Motorola released the Atrix; and the always-innovating Always Innovating showed off a similar concept a year or so ago, too.
But the NexPhone Project wants to do much more, and do it in style.
“NexPhone is the only smartphone you will ever need in the future, which becomes a Tablet, Laptop or PC” reads the marketing pitch that NexCrea is using in its video and website.[/QUOTE]
[video=youtube;Gd43m08d-ro]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd43m08d-ro&hd=1[/video]
[QUOTE]There are four parts to the Nex concept, with the “brain” being the NexPhone. The operating system and processing power all come from the phone part, as does your data, apps and files.
This ‘brain’ can then be connected to other hardware components to create additional devices.
NexPhone + “NexTablet” creates a tablet
NexPhone + ”NexLaptop” creates a laptop
NexPhone +”NexMonitor” creates a PC
“NexDock”[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://cloudfront.omgubuntu.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nextablet.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE]Despite the lack of a prototype at present NexCrea feel confident enough to list consumer pricing for the items:
[B]NexPhone & NexDock $499
NexTablet Dock $149
NexLaptop Dock $199
NexMonitor Dock with keyboard & trackpad $199
[/B]
You Can Bankroll Their Idea
Ideas are cheap – turning them into reality costs.
So, rather than go the traditional route of seeking out investors, NexCrea, the company behind the Nex* devices, are looking to raise $950,000 through crowd-funding. The money will be used to build a prototype device.[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://cloudfront.omgubuntu.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/nexdock.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE]IndieGoGo has been chosen as the fundraising tool, using a ‘flexible’ campaign. If you’re thinking about donating this means that regardless of whether or not the full $950,000 is raised you will be charged.
To clarify: they are asking you for money to test an idea they have. That’s all that’s involved in this. Before you throw money at this in vain hope seeing NexPhones on the shelves in time for xmas: think with your head.
Questions
Chances are you, like us, have questions about the concept, its viability, and how a company best known for VoIP services came up with the idea.
What happens to the money raised if they don’t reach their goal (bearing in mind that they keep it, regardless)? Are they working with Canonical? To what extent? And just how realistic are tose prices given they don’t have a prototype in hand yet?
We’ve contacted NexCrea to get some further information and background to some queries we have.
We’ll let you in on their response as soon as we get it, but in the mean time if you want to throw some coin at this you’ll find all the details @ indiegogo.com/nexphone[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/09/meet-the-nexphone-an-ubuntu-based-smartphone-pc-tablet-and-laptop-in-one[/url]
interesting concept I admit
Does the NexDock work for windows and mac or will you need to buy the suite for anything to work?
Seems cool nonetheless
[quote]Here’s a name you’ll be hearing a lot about in the next few months: NexPhone[/quote]
I doubt I'll hear it again after I press the back button.
I prefer each of my devices to have dedicated power (CPU - RAM - HDD ETC) rather than converting a phone into a desktop or tablet. This way I can use multiple devices at the same time aswell.
I lost faith in ubuntu when they dumped the UI for a glitzy featureless desktop.
And even before that, I hated them for dumping support for framebuffers with less than four megs of VRAM.
I'll stick to a central fileserver and links, thank you.
So if you turn around to grab something out of your backpack what's stopping me from plucking your smartphone off the back of your laptop?
v:v:v
Ubuntu is full of bloat, if they allow users to run other GNU/Linux distributions this might have potential though.
Additionally, the designs for the devices in that video are quite vulgar in my opinion.
[QUOTE=ewitwins;37638873]So if you turn around to grab something out of your backpack what's stopping me from plucking your smartphone off the back of your laptop?
v:v:v[/QUOTE]
The same thing that stops you from stealing anything else that anybody sets on a table.
[QUOTE=MIPS;37638857]I lost faith in ubuntu when they dumped the UI for a glitzy featureless desktop.
And even before that, I hated them for dumping support for framebuffers with less than four megs of VRAM.
I'll stick to a central fileserver and links, thank you.[/QUOTE]
I'm using Ubuntu right now and I quite enjoy it.
Lots of keyboard shortcuts in Unity makes Elecbullet a happy man.
It'd be quite handy for school computers though if all phones had it. You could just smack it on the back and acces all your stuff right away.
And [B]WHY[/B] is the connectors right in the middle of the back of the phone?
Why not cram the connectors into the bottom of the phone instead, and have a slot in the laptop/tablet where you slide the phone [B]IN[/B].
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
Something slightly like this:
[url]http://elinux.org/Embedded_Open_Modular_Architecture/EOMA-68[/url]
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
gibe Xubuntu plz.
What if you have to set the tablet down?
Are you going to set it on top of the phone and get the screen all scratched up?
[QUOTE=Van-man;37639110]And [B]WHY[/B] is the connectors right in the middle of the back of the phone?
Why not cram the connectors into the bottom of the phone instead, and have a slot in the laptop/tablet where you slide the phone [B]IN[/B].
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
Something slightly like this:
[url]http://elinux.org/Embedded_Open_Modular_Architecture/EOMA-68[/url]
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
gibe Xubuntu plz.[/QUOTE]
At least the Asus one docks on the side and then is enclosed within the tablet
[img]http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/PadFone.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Van-man;37639110]And [B]WHY[/B] is the connectors right in the middle of the back of the phone?
Why not cram the connectors into the bottom of the phone instead, and have a slot in the laptop/tablet where you slide the phone [B]IN[/B].
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
Something slightly like this:
[url]http://elinux.org/Embedded_Open_Modular_Architecture/EOMA-68[/url]
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
gibe Xubuntu plz.[/QUOTE]
Have you seen how thin the stuff in the video was?
This would be a good idea if it weren't pandering to "casuals"; why are they running a PC off a tiny phone? It makes no sense. There's no room to change and if your phones break you are completely screwed. I'd much prefer individual devices that sync up through bluetooth.
[QUOTE=Marik Bentusi;37639373]Have you seen how thin the stuff in the video was?[/QUOTE]
That little bit extra thickness would be worth a better overall docking solution.
Also some of the extra thickness could be used for batteries, ports and larger storage in the dock device itself.
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
Alternatively for the laptop, have it dock with screen up onto the right side of the keyboard, so it can both act as a "touch" numpad, or being used for media control "buttons" instead of numpad.
Could also buy a Transformer Prime and dualboot Android and Ubuntu.
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
Wait, forgot this was a phone.
[QUOTE=sparky28000;37640344]Could also buy a Transformer Prime and dualboot Android and Ubuntu.
[editline]12th September 2012[/editline]
Wait, forgot this was a phone.[/QUOTE]
Asus Padfone, which is currently in development, but has already been mentioned.
[QUOTE=Van-man;37640364]Asus Padfone, which is currently in development, but has already been mentioned.[/QUOTE]
If they port Ubuntu to it.
[QUOTE=sparky28000;37640372]If they port Ubuntu to it.[/QUOTE]
If Asus publishes the bootloader and drivers for Linux, then it's not hard.
Linux has been ported to devices that's more locked down than Asus Android products.
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